Jim2015

We rarely do long journeys, so the Octavia iV is perfect for our driving pattern. Using petrol alone we get about 44mpg, which is good for a heavy car. Our previous cars had a poor mpg because we do so many short journeys, so e-power is ideal. Our longest journey is to visit my brother, who lives about 125 miles away. He also has a hybrid so I can charge our car from his charge point for the return journey, with the same arrangement when he visits us. I should add that a pure electric car would suit us, but I still want the option to do a long journey without worrying about finding a charge point.

Our Octavia iV estate is now almost perfect, except for the insulation required for the 400 volt battery to prevent a fire risk. It's the best car I've ever driven: the looks and performance are exceptional, the economy is superb (85mpg overall) and both my wife and I love it. It's been a long haul to get to this position (seven trips to the dealer for warranty work) so I assume that the latest Octavia hybrids will be fault-free. As for the touchscreen HVAC controls, the bottom right side of the screen just needs a quick tap to change the temperature for the driver, but not mentioned is the voice control. Just ask for the required temperature setting for which seat and it works perfectly. You can also use voice control for the satnav, such as the nearest fuel station or a named supermarket and again it's faultless. Also if you have a dog, the boot level is much lower than the other hybrids we looked at (Citroen and Peugeot) plus the boot is enormous. The build quality is excellent and the ride is superb, despite the low-profile tyres. I have just one criticism: I miss the reversing camera, which was fitted to our Karoq, but otherwise it is a brilliant car. It's a shame that Skoda/VW used early buyers to snag the software problems, but I'd certainly buy another one, because there is nothing to compare with the Octavia.

I've done some sums comparing the cost per mile using data based on brimming the fuel tanks for our most recent cars. Yeti 4WD DSG diesel: fuel costs were 16p/mile with an average cost of £1.27/litre. Karoq 2WD DSG petrol: fuel costs were 17.8p/mile with an average cost of £1.22/litre. Octavia hybrid: petrol costs are 7.7p/mile with an average cost of £1.44/litre. I don't have sufficient data on electricity consumption for an accurate figure as yet, but our average monthly mileage is about 500 miles and in the first full month of billing by Octopus, we used £6.30 of off-peak electricity, which roughly equates to 0.1p/mile. We average about 6000 miles a year, so the Yeti would cost £960 pa, the Karoq £1068 pa and the Octavia £460 pa. Also half our mileage is on e-power, so we leave zero emissions around and near to our home town as well as reduced emissions on hybrid power, since e-power is used around town. I'm impressed by the performance and economy of the Octavia, so once the 400-volt battery insulation is sorted, our car will be fault-free.

Yes - everytime I use it I get three options.

Today I found a supplement to the operating manual in the glove box, about the 12-volt vehicle battery. The only change is a section titled 'Insufficient power supply'. The text is almost identical to the previous section in the manual as well as the supplement titled 'The state of charge of the 12-volt vehicle battery is insufficient'. It advises driving the car for several kilometers to charge the 12-volt battery, but 'Charge the 12-volt battery with a charger' is deleted and 'Have the vehicle checked at a specialist garage' is added. In our previous Skodas with stop/start and Kessy, there was a voltage regulator which would switch off various non-essential items eg the radio if the battery voltage dropped so that the engine could still be started. However, when our iV 12-volt battery discharged overnight on December 29th the resting voltage was 4.1v, so the car could not be unlocked or started. I'm hoping that the new control unit will fix the problem and am going to monitor the resting voltage every morning. Incidentally, practice opening the passenger door with the emergency key in case the battery voltage is too low to operate Kessy: it is awkward! Also, follow the instructions on how to recharge the battery via the under bonnett terminals: this connects via the control unit. I would not advise using the 12v boot socket

Our Octavia has had a new battery cable fitted. This includes a control unit, so presumably the voltage loss will not happen again. I'll plug the voltmeter into the boot socket to keep an eye on things. The insulating mat is booked for sometime in August as there are very few dealers who can do the work. I'm hoping that the car is taken on a trailer if it is some distance away. Has anyone had success in asking Skoda UK to contribute to costs - this is our car's seventh warranty visit (including a service) so it's cost me over 400 miles worth of e-power and fuel.

Our iV will do about 80 miles in Hybrid mode before the battery is at 0%, returning about 80 mpg on a fast run. I haven't done a very long journey, but when the 400 volt battery is at 0%, the car still starts on e-power, so there must be a small reserve. Also, regen braking does supply some charging - on a long hill here in the NY Moors (about three miles), I can get a 7% increase in the charge level. I always charge the car at night (Octopus Go off-peak rate of 7.5p/kWh) which gives about 25 miles on e-power, ideal for local trips. I'll try John's tip to run in B mode in sport, but it's not in the handbook. If the battery is at 0% I still get about 46mpg, not bad for a heavy estate, but the petrol engine runs on the Budack cycle, which improves efficiency over the Atkinson cycle by aboout 8%. www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a12436620/volkswagen-budack-cycle-explained/

The Smart meter shows energy consumption every half hour, so if you programme the car to charge in the early hours when the base load is low and constant, subtract this from the total used for charging. Alternatively, if there is no Smart meter, the battery % is shown on the left hand display, so factor 100% is 13 kWh and calculate the amount due from the % before charging.

i received the recall leter from Skoda UK today about the need for a high-voltage battery insulating mat to prevent the possibility of a voltage flashover into the vehicle interior following a short circuit and a burst fuse. Slightly alarming, to say the least. I've contacted our dealer and another dealer 60 miles from here or about thirty from ours may be qualified to do the work when our car goes in for the mysterious battery cable replacement in mid-June. As with all the warranty work (six trips so far including a service) no mention of a contribution towards travel expenses. So the saga continues.

The battery cable (no more details but it might be related to the fire risk) is being replaced on June 14th. The car is being kept for two days, so we are being provided with a courtesy car. Our dealer has been excellent throughout the time we've had the Octavia, but Skoda UK and particularly their customer care have been useless. I received a survey from Skoda on the anniversary of buying the car for my comments, so naturally I vented my anger!

Our Octy iV went in for its first service today and for so-called campaign fixes. The person at the dealer who is bringing the car back spoke to me a short while ago, but could only talk in general terms about the campaign fixes. A battery cable (his term) needs replacing but it is on back order. The 400v battery needs an insulating mat to be fitted, but only two companies in the UK are qualified to do the work, although one is opening sometime near to the dealer. The latter is slightly worrying! Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks Niamh. I don't have Skoda Connect, so I'll have a look in the Infotainment centre, just in case I ever need it.

The converter on the cable between the 13 amp socket and the car is a 240 volt AC to 400 volt DC transformer and limits the supply current to 10amps. I don't know how to reduce the supply current. Off peak enables the car to be charged at a time when cheap electricity is available. In our case, with Octopus Go, this is between 00:30 and 04:30 and the cost is 7.5 p/kWh, or about a pound for a full charge. I use an old style mechanical timer rated at 13 amps to charge the car at off-peak rates. Although the car did the job, because the software is iffy I don't trust it. I don't know what departure time means for the charger, but it can programme the aircon to come on at a set time before you leave to pre-heat or -cool the car.

The satnav in our Octy iV is the best I've ever used. Very easy to set up and I like the map display on the virtual instrument panel. In town, a bridge closes at weekends and even if the satnav is off I get a 'restricted access' voice warning. The voice activation is also good: for example say 'Morrisons Berwick' and it immediately shows a route.

Hi PoloGaz. If you have a Smart meter and the Octopus Go tariff, the off-peak rate between 00:30 and 04:30 is 7.5 p/kWh. Our Octy iV will fully charge for £1 and we'll get about 25 miles on e-power ie 4p/mile. The estimated savings over 100% IC usage is about £400 per annum. (NB The Smart meter cannot work out consumption for the full and off-peak rates separately but the bill does split the costs).

Well done Mike! Despite the development of diesel engines having ceased, that is a credit to you and to Skoda. I once achieved 70mpg in our 2002 model 1.9 Tdi Octy diesel, by driving at 55 mpg on the M4 for miles to home. Our Mk 4 Octy iV has returned 88mpg since new, which is impressive.

Our Octy is due its first service in May and when I booked it in I was told that there were two updates. However, when I put the VIN code into the update search, no updates were flagged up.

Ours did the same thing in late December. Skoda Assist (RAC) came and did a partial recharge of the 12 volt battery. In order to open the passenger door, the emergency key was used. (I suggest having a go with this some time as it's awkward, assuming Skoda Assist have been). I used my trickle charger to fully charge the battery using the correct charging points under the bonnet. It's a known problem and our dealer did a software update, although the 12 volt battery still disharges slightly every night, so I leave the main charger plugged in 'just in case'.

It's time for a further update. On December 29th the 12v battery had dropped to 4 volts overnight, KESSY didn't work, so I had to call Skoda Assist (the AA) out. After a short time on a battery booster, the battery voltage rose to 12 volts and I left my own trickle charger connected overnight. The 12 volt battery was tested (a pain to get at as it's under a cover in the boot next to the main battery) and it was fine. I sent an angry e-mail to the dealer and they had the car in for a week and apparently installed a software update to solve a problem with the 12 volt battery control unit. Since then the car has performed normally, the only 'glitches' being a couple of times the car defaulted to hybrid mode (fixed by switching the ignition off and on) and a low 12 volt battery warning. I'm now living with the fact that the car may occasionally function incorrectly, but so far I've been able to fix the problems myself. After clocking up 4500 miles the car has averaged 87 mpg, the performance continues to amaze me and I love everything about the car, hence my decision not to reject it. Skoda Connect hasn't been working since last September, but I've decided that I can manage without it since all the preheat and charging times can be set using the infotainment centre. One minot issue has turned out not to be a fault. The two key fobs flashed inside the house, so I changed the batteries: no change. I eventually found out that the light flashes when the fob is communicating with the car. The signal penetrates the garage and house walls and the flashing only stopped when I moved about two metres away from the house wall. So presumably the car is susceptible to thieves using a unit to pick up the signal whenever the key flashes. It's safe at home in a locked garage with the keys kept upstairs at night, but whenever I stay away overnight I have a steering wheel locking bar. One tip: practice using the emergency key as I found it awkward.

The 12 volt system is separate. It charges whilst driving or when the main charger is plugged in: for example today the resting voltage was 11.8v and it rose to 13.1v when I connected the main charger. I had a flat battery (4.8v) on December 30th when the car was parked for five days: the dealer claimed that it was due to the power steering control unit being live and so draining the battery. Not sure wheher that's true, but a software update was applied. I notice that the resting voltage drops by about 0.3 volts overnight, but as I never monitored resting voltage before getting the Octavia iV I don't know whether this is normal behaviour for a 12 volt battery.

No it was unplugged for the two days.

Our Octy was back last week as in my post above. Yesterday, after two days in the garage, KESSY didn't work, the battery was 11.5v and when I started the car a 'low battery warning' appeared. After a seven mile journey in hybrid mode the voltage was 12.1v and KESSY worked. I've informed the dealer and am waiting for their response.

Our Octy was in the dealer for a week to investigate the reason for the 12v battery going flat. It was claimed that the power steering control unit remained live causing the problem, so this was fixed. Two software updates were applied but Skoda Connect still doesn't work. As I wanted the car back, I said that I could manage without it. This is their final chance to bring the car up to the expected standard, so if any other problems occur, I'll be rejecting the car.

Further to my previous comments KESSY doesn't work and neither does the main charge cable charge the 12v battery. I used the trickle charger to take the resting voltage up to 12.4v, but as soon as I switch on the main charger the battery voltage drops to 12.2v.

Thanks for the comments. My mention of the heater coming on is a red herring as the electric heating is supplied by the 400 volt battery, However, I've lost confidence with the car: I won't go anywhere for an overnight stop in case it happens again and I'll leave it connected to the main charger every night. I'm not sure what to do now: both Skoda Finance and Skoda UK gave me some compensation when I said I'd accept the car, so is rejection now out of the question, despite a major fault having occurred?